What to look for when buying a standard schnauzer puppy

[Caramomo]

Before we get into this thread properly I would like to point out that I do not have standards myself and don't really know any standard breeders. This thread is an amalgamation of posts from various different threads that I have quoted here. For further information please pm the original posters when they have been quoted. Their names are in the first line of the quote.

Standards can be a bit of a handful but if you get the training right they are a fabulous family dog. The standard is fairly un-common so be prepared to travel to get the right dog and even more importantly talk to a few different breeders and find one that is supportive and informative of the breed. The Schnauzer Club of Great Britain will give you a list of reputable breeders if you contact them. You need to decide what colour you would like and yes there is a difference in their personalities. Be warned there are some breeders out there trying to make a fast buck without protecting the health and well being of the breed but black beard knows of a few good ones and if you would like her to give them to you send her a PM. Good luck and do your homework

[Caramomo]

Be warned there are some breeders out there trying to make a fast buck without protecting the health and well being of the breed but I know of a few good ones and if you would like me to give them to you send me a PM. Good luck and do your homework

As far has I know there are NO health problems with standard schnauzers there are people out there starting to breed for money more then the care of the breed esp in Blacks as they go for more money.
I would not say a standard schnauzer is a good first time dog to start out with and they are not all as easy going as you may think they can and do push buttons in your head all the time you really need to have some basic knowledge of dog ownership before taking on a standard as they are a strong willed breed where the miniatures are more easy going
We have all 3 sizes here and I find them really easy going, my main love is the standards because they are like they are and I would not change them, there are a lot out there I would like to change with bad rear movements but thankfully all of ours move good !!!!

[Caramomo]

I too had not owned a dog for many years but have a fair bit of experience so the only question over my choice of the standard was about how much time I would be able to devote to the training and excercising. I have a 6yr old son and I am lucky enough to not have to work, so even with the 'taxi' service I provide to school, rugby etc, I am able to have at least 2 hrs a day just for her. They are amazing dogs if you put in the work, so if your up the challenge and have the time needed for a dog that is smart, energetic and wilful I would suggest you contact the SCGB for a list of breeders of blacks, talk to a few and find one that is informative and you think will be supportive in the future. They may even be able to tell you if they have any litters planned for the spring. Good luck

[Caramomo]

If you have researched the breeds characteristics and requirements, and have met the parents of your puppy and spoke to the breeder at length, then you should have a better idea about what you are taking on. Have a look at the parents temperament, energy levels and coat, and also the coat and temperament of your puppy. Your breeder should be able to give you some good advice on exercise and grooming, if they can't then ??!!.....The handbook and grooming guides are a great addition to the advice and information provided by your breeder.

[Caramomo]

Reputable breeders will let you meet at least one parent but preferably both or other members of the family. Ideally the parents should have been health screened. The breeder should supply you with a puppy pack full of info and health check your pup before you collect it. Good breeders will also microchip it, insure it for 4 weeks. At 5 months yours should also have had it's innoculations and certainly be house trained. They should also be on hand after you've bought your pup for any additional questions you may have and be prepared to take a puppy back in the event that things don't work out for whatever reason , or at the very least help with rehoming. If the breeder you've chosen doesn't offer any of the above then I would think carefully about whether you would still like a pup from that breeder.

I too have dipped into the Draxpark site for additional info and find it extremely useful - so thank you for creating such an informative site

[Caramomo]

All pups should be confident, clean, playful and appear healthy. They should have bright eyes and glossy fur, slighly plump rather than skinny. Mum may appear a little skinny or tired, raising pups is alot of work, but she should not be in obvious distress or ill health. She should be reasonable happy so let you play with and handle the pups and should not be nervous or aggressive. The puppy area should be clean, reasonably warm with a supply of fresh water for the pups. As the pups should be at least 4 weeks old mum may not be in with them but she should be near by and you MUST see her. If she is out anywhere say your happy to wait for her return. You will probably be there for over an hour anyway chatting to the breeder and playing with the pups. The breeder may have several other dogs there of a couple of breeds. You should be happy that the number of dogs the breeder has can be given the time, care and attention they need and all other dogs should be in good health. If there are several litters there ask the breeder why. I would only expect one, maybe two litters at the same time for the breeder to ba able to play with and provide the necessary socialisation to.

The breeder should ask you plenty of questions and listen to your answers - they should care about where pups are going. They should be able to answer all your questions. A responsible breeder will make it quite clear they would be happy to stay in contact with you when pup goes home and they should also be clear they will take pup back with first refusal should you ever have to give pup up, even if its in 5 or 10 years time. They should be happy to provide you with as much advice and help as you want/need. You should get on with them, find them easy to ask questions of as with any luck your relationship with them will last the next 15 or so years.

Finally, and most importantly, it should feel right. If ANY ONE THING feels at all wrong, underhand, suspicious etc then, please, for future pups, WALK AWAY!

[Caramomo]

Having been (a couple of months ago) in the same position as you and having just bought a pup a week ago, I can offer you some limited advice. The first thing I did was lots of research. Not just about the correct breed of dog (that was a fairly easy conclusion to reach) but mostly to convince myself that I had the wherewithal to be able to look after a dog properly - particularly the puppyhood bit. I asked a few questions on here and got a lot of useful answers and sometimes a bit of mild abuse.

Once I had convinced myself that I had the right breed and the mental and financial capacity to cope with a puppy, I set on the task of trying to sort out breeders and how to approach them.

At first I thought of going only to those on the accredited breeder scheme as that sounded quite sensible. A few posts on here though put me right on that score as it seems that membership of that scheme gives no guarantee of any kind (makes you wonder why it exists in the first place but that's another question). So I went to the kennel club website and looked for breeders who had pups available. It's quite good because it has breeders listed by area. I also contacted the schnauzer club of great britain and the northern schnauzer club for breeder lists and cross-checked them on the kennel club website.

I decided to ignore all of the other sites that had puppies for sale (although coincidentally I discovered that the breeder I am buying for had puppies for sale on one of those sites at a cheaper price than I paid...).

I had my list of preferred colours and sex. I then phoned a few who met those basic criteria and, if I liked them, I arranged a visit. One of the breeders had a really nice website and was comparatively close to where I say but I really didn't like her attitude on the phone so she was crossed off the list.

Once I had my list of breeders to visit, I made a up a checklist from the various things that people had advised on here (such as in Elaine's post above). The main thing I was looking for though was a feeling that I could trust the person I was buying from. I didn't feel that I had the professional knowledge to know what kind of things to look for re the breed standard so I settled for being comfortable with the right person.

I ended up with a choice of two. One was a breeder who had shown dogs and judged competitions for many years. She was really nice and the pups were great. I had gone to see her first but was determined to see both breeders before making my decision regardless of how I felt about the first lot.

When I went to see the second breeder I got a much better feeling although the breeder herself was probably less experienced. There were lots of kids around and they were happy picking up the pups; the house was pretty noisy; the pups' mum was there and looked a bit worn out but happy and well cared for. I asked a few questions about the pups (how old they were, how much they cost, when they were due to get vaccinated etc.) and what homes the other ones were going to. I was able to learn quite a bit about how the breeder went about her business by some of her answers.

The breeder went and fetched a whole lot of paperwork and patiently explained all of the owner registration stuff, vaccination schedules, pedigree certificates, feeding, care, insurance etc. etc. She also asked me quite a few questions about what preparations I had made.

As far as I could see there was nothing to choose between the pups (and I wouldn't know what to look for anyway) so I made my decision purely on whether I thought the breeder was a fit person to breed and sell a dog to me. To be honest, I could easily have bought one from the first one as I liked them both but the second one seemed more organised and friendly and (strangely) more of a dog lover (I though the first one had a somewhat clinical approach maybe due to her professional involvement in shows etc) although I am almost certainly doing her a gross disservice by saying this.

I would reiterate what someone posted above though. If anything at all strikes you as being not for you then just leave it.

Good luck

[Caramomo]

Great thread elaine, thanks for doing this, connection is so bad here mostly checking the forum on my iphone!
For me personally, If i were going to choose a pup I would like the breeder to not have more than a couple of litters at any one time and I would like to see they dont breed constantly throughout the year, if they did I would be asking why and if its solely for financial gain this is not a breeder i would like to purchase from. Also I would not buy from a breeder whihc has many different breeds they are breeding from. I have mini's and have recently gone in to cockers as well but to have and to give two breed what they both need especially as they are not similar I find it quite demanding and full on, therefore a breeder with 4 or 5 or even more breeds I would seriously question how adequately they are able to care for each breed and its own needs. Also I urge people to look at the number of dogs a person has. If the breeder has more than 10 dogs its most likely a full time thing, do you feel all the dogs look well cared for and well looked after? I have 7 dogs at the moment and I know these are very hard work, I attend 5 obediance classes a week, 2 ringcraft classes, am a trained groomer so do all the grooming myself and even so its a very full on commitment, having 10 or more dogs I wonder how they honestly have all their needs met? be honest with yourself and be harsh, this little pup is hopefully joining your family for the next 14+ years, its an incredibly important decision-scrutinise everything!

[Grice]

Great tips and information, thanks

[Samurai968]

Hi

May be to late to give advice, however I got our black standard one year ago, she is starting to get better and is so well trained.

However she still have problems which we are working with now which is being timid and being frightened of people.

We got her from a approved KC breeder , however one thing I would do if I did it again is buy a puppy that has been brought into the world as a family pet! Not to make money as some do!
It needs to be exposed to all the items that happen in a house such as the hoover, Tv etc from being first born! That will make your life so much easier!

I hope you have success in your search

Simon